Choanal Atresia
Choanal atresia is a congenital narrowing of the back of the nasal cavity that causes difficulty breathing. It is rare, occurring in approximately 1 in 7,000 live births, and is seen more often in females than in males. Choanal atresia is often associated with other developmental anomalies such as CHARGE, Treacher Collins syndrome, and Tessier syndrome.It can can be bilateral, meaning it blocks both nasal passages, or unilateral, meaning only one nasal passage is blocked. The blockage can be either completely bony (30 percent of cases) or be composed of both bone and membranes (70 percent of cases). Bilateral choanal atresia is life-threatening and symptoms appear immediately after birth. Babies breathe only through their noses when they are very young, so the blocked nasal passages will cause extreme difficulty breathing. Unilateral choanal atresia is more common, less serious, and sometimes appears later in childhood because the child has been able to manage while breathing through only one side of the nasal passage. The symptoms of choanal atresia include: Cyclic respiratory distress relieved with crying Noisy breathing Feeding difficulties Inability to pass a 5/6 French suction catheter into the nasopharynx Nasal drainage